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1500 questions
12
votes
1 answer
Do seismic travel times from one location to another differ based on factors other than distance?
Bit puzzled why it appears that seismic travel times from one location to another appears to just be a function of the distance, and not any other factors.
Do seismic travel times from one location to another differ based on factors other than…
blunders
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12
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2 answers
How do we know graptolites were pelagic?
How do we know that graptolites were pelagic, and not benthic, creatures? I understand it has something to do with their being found in black shale, but I'm not sure why that is particularly relevant.
Samuel Front
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12
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3 answers
How is it possible that a Hurricane such as Alex forms in the Atlantic in winter?
Hurricane Alex (developed from an area of low pressure which began in the Atlantic near Bahamas in January 2016, and developed subtropical and later tropical storm characteristics to the south of the Azores) clearly way outside the usual Jun-Nov…
arkaia
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12
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2 answers
How to compare earthquake magnitudes
On the USGS website, it says
Because of the logarithmic basis of the scale, each whole number
increase in magnitude represents a tenfold increase in measured
amplitude;
However my book says this:
Like many other scales in science (decibel is…
TeamA1
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12
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4 answers
Why does the earliest sunset time not coincide with the shortest day of the year?
I viewed sunset times in some major Eastern U.S. cities including Boston, New York, Philadelphia, Boston / D.C. and Miami. It seems that the earliest sunset time starts around the first week of December, stays the same for the next week, and starts…
DanF
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12
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1 answer
How different is the proportion of heavy water ($\ce{^2H2O}$) in the different oceans?
The average proportion of naturally occurring semi-heavy water or deuterated water, $\ce{^2HHO}$ or $\ce{HDO}$, is about 1 molecule in 3200. The proportion comes from the fact that one hydrogen in 6400 is in the form of deuterium. The heavy water,…
arkaia
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12
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3 answers
Why is Earth's Core Iron?
The two major constituents of the Earth's core are iron and nickel. In documentaries and scientific conversations, iron gets more attention than nickel, probably because it makes up a bigger percentage of the core.
But before I consider this…
JohnWDailey
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1 answer
Plotting wind barbs in python
I'm trying to plot wind barbs in basemap and I have two separate netCDF files.
Here is what I am trying to produce, or something like it:
How do I read a uwnd variable in a netCDF file in python?
from mpl_toolkits.basemap import Basemap
from…
Brian B.
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3 answers
Is Mount Everest currently becoming taller or shorter every year?
Is Mount Everest becoming taller or shorter every year? By how much?
I would like an explanation in terms of tectonic plate movement if possible.
Source: IamKatieHoffman.com
Poomrokc The 3years
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12
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1 answer
Are sandstorms like regular storms?
What's the difference between sandstorms and regular storms? Are they more than just strong wind within deserts?
Zoltán Schmidt
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Do clouds float on anything?
Clouds of the same type have such a consistent altitude, it appears as if they're floating on an invisible layer. Is this true?
Put another way, is there a significant change in air composition at the point where clouds float/form, or is that…
James Beninger
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12
votes
2 answers
Mechanism for Pluto's young surface
According to recent reports (e.g. in Nature), Pluto is geologically active. It has some mechanism by which it has "recycled" its surface. I originally thought we had a similar case to Jupiter's moon Europa: tidal energy causes the moon to flex up…
Lucian09474
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12
votes
1 answer
Why does every tsunami travel differently?
Tsunamis are quite interesting, as they only happen after a large displacement of water.
Usually, the waves travel quite weirdly. Sometimes there are waves which bounce off of land and go back to sea. Sometimes they go straight to land and don't…
hichris123
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12
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2 answers
Bifurcation Scenarios in the Atmosphere
I read that the mathematical definition of bifurcation is that, at a critical value of a parameter that governs the dynamical system, the system changes to a topologically different system than the previous.
I recognize that the scope of this…
Sean
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1 answer
Are mantle plumes distributed around the core randomly or in a known pattern?
Background:
The theory of mantle plumes is useful (although controversial) in explaining the occurrence of intra-plate volcanoes. The website here suggests that "hotspots" exist in fixed locations relative to one another in the core, and thus on a…
Kenshin
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